Reds defender Bart Vriends has declared fellow veteran Craig Goodwin “fit enough” to start for Adelaide United in Friday night’s A-League semi-final second-leg battle against Auckland FC at Coopers Stadium.
Goodwin, 34, has made two appearances off the bench in his return from a long-term groin injury.
With a grand-final berth up for grabs, the Socceroos stalwart’s experience could prove invaluable in what is set to be a pressure-cooker atmosphere on Friday night following a 1-1 first-leg draw.
It’s now up to Adelaide coach Airton Andrioli to decide whether to play club captain Goodwin from the opening whistle, or keep the winger up his sleeve for a second-half cameo and potentially 30 minutes of extra-time if aggregate scores are still level at the end of normal time.
“He’s fit enough (to start),” Vriends said of Goodwin on Tuesday.
“It’s just on him and Airton to (decide whether he should) step up and come into the (starting team).
“We know what he can do. He is one of those big-moment players. so this could be his stage, and it has been his stage before.
“We know he’s capable of doing those special things, and I’m just really thrilled that he’s back in the squad.
“Whether he comes off the bench, or starts, it doesn’t really matter – he will have an impact on the team. The semi-final sounds like a task for him.”
Reds coach Andrioli must also decider whether to start with in-form striker Luka Jovanovic on his return from suspension, or again use wily Brazilian veteran Anselmo de Moraes as a centre-forward.
“He’s a type of player that can score really crucial goals,” Vriends said of Jovanovic, who scored a brace in his most recent start to help Adelaide beat Melbourne City 2-1 last month.
“That’s what he did in Melbourne, and he’s done it many times for us.”
Regardless of how the Reds line up, Vriends sensed a “special” Friday night loomed for Adelaide.
“This is arguably the biggest game Adelaide has played in recent years,” he said.
“We’ve got to be humble, but confident. We need to step up and grab what’s in front of us and what’s in our hands.”
“We want to be aggressive and positive – that’s our culture.”
Vriends suggested that the Reds didn’t fear a physical Auckland outfit.
“We basically matched them in every moment of the (first leg),” he said.
“We know they’re physical, we know they come with lots of crosses and have tall strikers, but the way we stood up in the second-half is the way to go. I just want to go out there and have some fun.”
Originally published as Reds star Craig Goodwin backed for starting role in A-League semi-final battle
